Ok, to make this clear, I think this is only the second-best solution, but it is still miles better than Access Ministries proselytisers poisoning the minds of our kids with Jesus bullshit.
My personal opinion is that all religion, as in, history and central tenets of major organised religions, should be kept out of school until children are old enough to make informed judgments about those stories of rape, homophobia, genocide, slavery, misogyny and eternal hellfire just because someone followed the wrong dietary requirements.
But this new parent-driven effort is worth promoting and supporting.
The Department of Education has granted a legal right to the evangelical ACCESS Ministries to serve as the default religion of Victoria’s Public Schools.
We want the promotion of the ministry performed by this parachurch to cease, and we are supportive of education about religion reflective of Australia’s multicultural traditions and not one designed to instruct children in a particular faith.
School is for learning through enquiry, not indoctrination. Families should be trusted to attend to the religious formation of their children. Currently the system is designed to use the authority of the Victorian Department of Education to favour one religion above all others. This is not fair.
They also want you, the parents, to become active :
1. Find out when religious instruction will be commencing in your school and make an informed decision about whether your children will attend.
2. Write to your school council and/or principal and express your opinion.
3. Ask your school news letter to place our website under “community notices” and email your friends with a recommendation that they join the campaign.
Most importantly, use the information on this website to lobby your member of parliament, the staff at the DEECD and Martin Dixon, the Minister for Education.
So, go and write to your MP and the Minister for Education. You can also support FIRIS through their Facebook page.
